Categoría: ACTS

The Bible – New Testament

Acts

Chapter 11

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¹ Now the apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God.

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So when Peter went up to Jerusalem the circumcised believers confronted him,

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saying, «You entered ² the house of uncircumcised people and ate with them.»

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Peter began and explained it to them step by step, saying,

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«I was at prayer in the city of Joppa when in a trance I had a vision, something resembling a large sheet coming down, lowered from the sky by its four corners, and it came to me.

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Looking intently into it, I observed and saw the four-legged animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky.

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I also heard a voice say to me, ‘Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat.’

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But I said, ‘Certainly not, sir, because nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’

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But a second time a voice from heaven answered, ‘What God has made clean, you are not to call profane.’

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This happened three times, and then everything was drawn up again into the sky.

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Just then three men appeared at the house where we were, who had been sent to me from Caesarea.

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The Spirit told me to accompany them without discriminating. These six brothers ³ also went with me, and we entered the man’s house.

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He related to us how he had seen (the) angel standing in his house, saying, ‘Send someone to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter,

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who will speak words to you by which you and all your household will be saved.’

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As I began to speak, the holy Spirit fell upon them as it had upon us at the beginning,

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and I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water but you will be baptized with the holy Spirit.’

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If then God gave them the same gift he gave to us when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?»

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When they heard this, they stopped objecting and glorified God, saying, «God has then granted life-giving repentance to the Gentiles too.»

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⁴ Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that arose because of Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but Jews.

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There were some Cypriots and Cyrenians among them, however, who came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks as well, proclaiming the Lord Jesus.

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The hand of the Lord was with them and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.

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The news about them reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas (to go) to Antioch.

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When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart,

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for he was a good man, filled with the holy Spirit and faith. And a large number of people was added to the Lord.

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Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul,

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and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a large number of people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians. ⁵

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⁶ At that time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch,

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and one of them named Agabus stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine all over the world, and it happened under Claudius.

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So the disciples determined that, according to ability, each should send relief to the brothers who lived in Judea.

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⁷ This they did, sending it to the presbyters in care of Barnabas and Saul.

Acts

1 [1-18] The Jewish Christians of Jerusalem were scandalized to learn of Peter’s sojourn in the house of the Gentile Cornelius. Nonetheless, they had to accept the divine directions given to both Peter and Cornelius. They concluded that the setting aside of the legal barriers between Jew and Gentile was an exceptional ordinance of God to indicate that the apostolic kerygma was also to be directed to the Gentiles. Only in Acts 15 at the «Council» in Jerusalem does the evangelization of the Gentiles become the official position of the church leadership in Jerusalem.

2 [3] You entered . . . : alternatively, this could be punctuated as a question.

3 [12] These six brothers: companions from the Christian community of Joppa (see ⇒ Acts 10:23).

4 [19-26] The Jewish Christian antipathy to the mixed community was reflected by the early missionaries generally. The few among them who entertained a different view succeeded in introducing Gentiles into the community at Antioch (in Syria). When the disconcerted Jerusalem community sent Barnabas to investigate, he was so favorably impressed by what he observed that he persuaded his friend Saul to participate in the Antioch mission.

5 [26] Christians: «Christians» is first applied to the members of the community at Antioch because the Gentile members of the community enable it to stand out clearly from Judaism.

6 [27-30] It is not clear whether the prophets from Jerusalem came to Antioch to request help in view of the coming famine or whether they received this insight during their visit there. The former supposition seems more likely. Suetonius and Tacitus speak of famines during the reign of Claudius (A.D. 41-54), while the Jewish historian Josephus mentions a famine in Judea in A.D. Acts 11:46-48. Luke is interested, rather, in showing the charity of the Antiochene community toward the Jewish Christians of Jerusalem despite their differences on mixed communities.

7 [30] Presbyters: this is the same Greek word that elsewhere is translated «elders,» primarily in reference to the Jewish community.

Acts

The Bible – New Testament

Acts 

Chapter 2

1

¹ When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together.

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And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, ² and it filled the entire house in which they were.

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Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, ³ which parted and came to rest on each one of them.

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And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, ⁴ as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

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Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.

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At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language.

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They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, «Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?

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Then how does each of us hear them in his own native language?

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We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,

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Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome,

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both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.»

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They were all astounded and bewildered, and said to one another, «What does this mean?»

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But others said, scoffing, «They have had too much new wine.»

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⁵ Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them, «You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.

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These people are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.

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No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

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‘It will come to pass in the last days,’ God says, ‘that I will pour out a portion of my spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.

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Indeed, upon my servants and my handmaids I will pour out a portion of my spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy.

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And I will work wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below: blood, fire, and a cloud of smoke.

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The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and splendid day of the Lord,

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and it shall be that everyone shall be saved who calls on the name of the Lord.’

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You who are Israelites, hear these words. Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.

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This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.

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But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it.

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For David says of him: ‘I saw the Lord ever before me, with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

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Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted; my flesh, too, will dwell in hope,

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because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.

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You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’

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My brothers, one can confidently say to you about the patriarch David that he died and was buried, and his tomb is in our midst to this day.

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But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,

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he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld nor did his flesh see corruption.

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God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses.

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Exalted at the right hand of God, ⁶ he received the promise of the holy Spirit from the Father and poured it forth, as you (both) see and hear.

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For David did not go up into heaven, but he himself said: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, «Sit at my right hand

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until I make your enemies your footstool.»‘

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Therefore let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.»

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Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other apostles, «What are we to do, my brothers?»

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Peter (said) to them, «Repent and be baptized, ⁷ every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit.

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For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call.»

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He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them, «Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.»

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Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day.

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⁸ They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.

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Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

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All who believed were together and had all things in common;

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they would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one’s need.

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Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart,

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praising God and enjoying favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

 

1 [1-41] Luke’s pentecostal narrative consists of an introduction (⇒ Acts 2:1-13), a speech ascribed to Peter declaring the resurrection of Jesus and its messianic significance (⇒ Acts 2:14-36), and a favorable response from the audience (⇒ Acts 2:37-41). It is likely that the narrative telescopes events that took place over a period of time and on a less dramatic scale. The Twelve were not originally in a position to proclaim publicly the messianic office of Jesus without incurring immediate reprisal from those religious authorities in Jerusalem who had brought about Jesus’ death precisely to stem the rising tide in his favor.

2 [2] There came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind: wind and spirit are associated in ⇒ John 3:8. The sound of a great rush of wind would herald a new action of God in the history of salvation.

3 [3] Tongues as of fire: see ⇒ Exodus 19:18 where fire symbolizes the presence of God to initiate the covenant on Sinai. Here the holy Spirit acts upon the apostles, preparing them to proclaim the new covenant with its unique gift of the Spirit (⇒ Acts 2:38).

4 [4] To speak in different tongues: ecstatic prayer in praise of God, interpreted in ⇒ Acts 2:6, ⇒ 11 as speaking in foreign languages, symbolizing the worldwide mission of the church.

5 [14-36] The first of six discourses in Acts (along with ⇒ Acts 3:12-26; ⇒ 4:8-12; ⇒ 5:29-32; ⇒ 10:34-43; ⇒ 13:16-41) dealing with the resurrection of Jesus and its messianic import. Five of these are attributed to Peter, the final one to Paul. Modern scholars term these discourses in Acts the «kerygma,» the Greek word for proclamation (cf ⇒ 1 Cor 15:11).

6 [33] At the right hand of God: or «by the right hand of God.»

7 [38] Repent and be baptized: repentance is a positive concept, a change of mind and heart toward God reflected in the actual goodness of one’s life. It is in accord with the apostolic teaching derived from Jesus (⇒ Acts 2:42) and ultimately recorded in the four gospels. Luke presents baptism in Acts as the expected response to the apostolic preaching about Jesus and associates it with the conferring of the Spirit (⇒ Acts 1:5; ⇒ 10:44-48; ⇒ 11:16).

8 [42-47] The first of three summary passages (along with ⇒ Acts 4:32-37; ⇒ 5:12-16) that outline, somewhat idyllically, the chief characteristics of the Jerusalem community: adherence to the teachings of the Twelve and the centering of its religious life in the eucharistic liturgy (⇒ Acts 2:42); a system of distribution of goods that led wealthier Christians to sell their possessions when the needs of the community’s poor required it (⇒ Acts 2:44 and the note on ⇒ Acts 4:32-37); and continued attendance at the temple, since in this initial stage there was little or no thought of any dividing line between Christianity and Judaism (⇒ Acts 2:46).

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The Bible – New Testament

Acts

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Chapter 28

1

Once we had reached safety we learned that the island was called Malta.

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The natives showed us extraordinary hospitality; they lit a fire and welcomed all of us because it had begun to rain and was cold.

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Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire when a viper, escaping from the heat, fastened on his hand.

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When the natives saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to one another, «This man must certainly be a murderer; though he escaped the sea, Justice ¹ has not let him remain alive.»

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But he shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no harm.

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They were expecting him to swell up or suddenly to fall down dead but, after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god.

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In the vicinity of that place were lands belonging to a man named Publius, the chief of the island. He welcomed us and received us cordially as his guests for three days.

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It so happened that the father of Publius was sick with a fever and dysentery. Paul visited him and, after praying, laid his hands on him and healed him.

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After this had taken place, the rest of the sick on the island came to Paul and were cured.

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They paid us great honor and when we eventually set sail they brought us the provisions we needed.

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Three months later we set sail on a ship that had wintered at the island. It was an Alexandrian ship with the Dioscuri ² as its figurehead.

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We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days,

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and from there we sailed round the coast and arrived at Rhegium. After a day, a south wind came up and in two days we reached Puteoli.

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There we found some brothers and were urged to stay with them for seven days. And thus we came to Rome.

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The brothers from there heard about us and came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul gave thanks to God and took courage.

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When he entered Rome, ³ Paul was allowed to live by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.

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⁴ Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered he said to them, «My brothers, although I had done nothing against our people or our ancestral customs, I was handed over to the Romans as a prisoner from Jerusalem.

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After trying my case the Romans wanted to release me, because they found nothing against me deserving the death penalty.

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But when the Jews objected, I was obliged to appeal to Caesar, even though I had no accusation to make against my own nation.

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This is the reason, then, I have requested to see you and to speak with you, for it is on account of the hope of Israel ⁵ that I wear these chains.»

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They answered him, «We have received no letters from Judea about you, nor has any of the brothers arrived with a damaging report or rumor about you.

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But we should like to hear you present your views, for we know that this sect is denounced everywhere.»

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So they arranged a day with him and came to his lodgings in great numbers. From early morning until evening, he expounded his position to them, bearing witness to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus from the law of Moses and the prophets.

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Some were convinced by what he had said, while others did not believe.

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⁶ Without reaching any agreement among themselves they began to leave; then Paul made one final statement. «Well did the holy Spirit speak to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah, saying:

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‘Go to this people and say: You shall indeed hear but not understand. You shall indeed look but never see.

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Gross is the heart of this people; they will not hear with their ears; they have closed their eyes, so they may not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and be converted, and I heal them.’

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Let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.»

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⁷

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⁸ He remained for two full years in his lodgings. He received all who came to him,

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and with complete assurance and without hindrance he proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Index 

1 [4] Justice: in Greek mythology, the pursuing goddess of vengeance and justice.

2 [11] Dioscuri: that is, the Twin Brothers, Castor and Pollux, the sons of Zeus and the patrons of the sailors.

3 [16] With Paul’s arrival in Rome, the programmatic spread of the word of the Lord to «the ends of the earth» (⇒ Acts 1:8) is accomplished. In Rome, Paul is placed under house arrest, and under this mild form of custody he is allowed to proclaim the word in the capital of the civilized world of his day.

4 [17-22] Paul’s first act in Rome is to learn from the leaders of the Jewish community whether the Jews of Jerusalem plan to pursue their case against him before the Roman jurisdiction. He is informed that no such plan is afoot, but that the Jews of Rome have heard the Christian teaching denounced. Paul’s offer to explain it to them is readily accepted.

5 [20] The hope of Israel: in the words of Paul (⇒ Acts 23:6), Luke has identified this hope as hope in the resurrection of the dead.

6 [25-28] Paul’s final words in Acts reflect a major concern of Luke’s writings: how the salvation promised in the Old Testament, accomplished by Jesus, and offered first to Israel (⇒ Acts 13:26), has now been offered to and accepted by the Gentiles. Quoting ⇒ Isaiah 6:9-10, Paul presents the scriptural support for his indictment of his fellow Jews who refuse to accept the message he proclaims. Their rejection leads to its proclamation among the Gentiles.

7 [29] The Western text has added here a verse that is not found in the best Greek manuscripts: «And when he had said this, the Jews left, seriously arguing among themselves.»

8 [30-31] Although the ending of Acts may seem to be abrupt, Luke has now completed his story with the establishment of Paul and the proclamation of Christianity in Rome. Paul’s confident and unhindered proclamation of the gospel in Rome forms the climax to the story whose outline was provided in ⇒ Acts 1:8 – «You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem . . . and to the ends of the earth.»

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